Many compositions have been applied to the exposed surfaces of dirt or gravel roads, piles of dirt, excavated overburden, mine tailings, etc., and similar substrates in order to suppress the evolution of fugitive dust therefrom in response to disturbance by wind, traffic, etc. The simplest and probably the earliest material used for this purpose is water, but while it is usually inexpensive, its effectiveness is limited and the required frequency of application is burdensome. A variety of petroleum products, such as discarded crankcase oil and high viscosity asphalts, have also been used, but have variously suffered from irregularity of supply, poor reproducibility of effectiveness, uncontrolled contamination, inadequate durability, etc. In particular, high viscosity asphalts, ordinarily applied as aqueous emulsions, while initially effective, have been found to form a hard crust on the surface of the substrate which deteriorates upon exposure to weather, traffic, etc., with a concomitant reduction in effectiveness in suppressing dust evolution.
The use of the compositions of the present invention for dust suppression overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior compositions and provides an effective and durable treatment for substrates to suppress the evolution of fugitive dust.